Twelve Days 'til Christmas, expansion
by S.J. Kohl
Summary: Sephiroth has never gotten a Christmas present. What happens when Zack finds out? SephxZackxCloud. Edited and posted anew due to many changes. Original still posted. Hoping to finish edits soon. PG-13
1. Day One: Blow

**Twelve Days 'til Christmas  
**Day One: Blow  
By S.J. Kohl  
Zack/Sephiroth/Cloud  
PG-13

Summary: The General has never received even a single Christmas gift before, nor truly celebrated Christmas at all. What mayhem do you think ensues when Zack finds out?  
Warnings: None that I can think of, for a wonder. Yaoi? ^_^

**Author's Note:** Yes, this is the same Twelve Days as already posted, just much edited. I was trying to finish it before Christmas, again (hope, vain hope...), and I realized reading through it that it needed a lot of work. Expansion to encompass CC, general editing, and expansion because it was just plain sketchy. Like a rough draft. I've posted it separately instead of just replacing Chapter One in the original because until all 10 chapters already posted are edited, the new ones just won't fit together with the originals. New characters and elements and such. So, posted anew. Sorry for the inconvenience. Anyone wanting to read all 10 posted chapters in their entirety can find them in my works, and everyone else will just have to wait as I edit the others and hopefully still get the whole thing finished by Christmas. Ambitious I know, considering, but I'm still hopeful. And editing doesn't take as long as writing from scratch. And I've already started on Chapter 11, and planned out Chapter 12...

* * *

Zack snapped his eyes open and grinned at the pale, cold light seeping in through the window by his bed. Dawn, his favorite time of day, when the sun first crested the horizon, bringing with it new possibilities and new plans. It was early winter, and he could taste snow on the air, even from inside, a gift granted him by the mako sweeping through his veins. Stretching his arms out and arching his back, allowing his muscles to warm up just a little, Zack sat up and gingerly touched his feet to the white tile floor. He sucked in a breath.

Rugs.

He needed rugs. Mako might offer him some protection from the cold—for which he was ever and always grateful—but it did _not _eliminate the pain of stepping on a floor that felt more like ice than tile. Oh, mountain brats like Cloud Strife might call him soft for it, but Zack was _not _a mountain brat, and he hated cold floors as much as he loved mornings. _Still, _Zack thought as he crow-hopped his way to the window, _it's gorgeous outside. And it's almost Christmas! _

Christmas!

Zack had been so damn busy with this Soldier thing that he hadn't had any time to get ready. And there was nowhere in his tiny apartment to put a proper-size tree, which was, frankly, scandalous. But there was a little tree in his little living room, decorated with brightly colored, homemade ornaments and lights his mother had shipped over from home, so maybe he wouldn't be quite so homesick. But the sight of the yellow, hand-crocheted star his baby sister had made for the top of his tree really only made him miss Christmas at home in Gongaga all the more. Little Alicia, she was turning nine in a few days. And he wasn't going to be there…

Shaking his head and shaking his sweater down over it, Zack grinned. Still, there was a lot to be said for Christmas in Midgar, right? This year he was a Soldier, not a cadet. He'd have the holiday off unless an emergency came up. Angeal had put the request in for him himself, actually. And Zack fully intended to enjoy himself, with his friends—his family.

Zack shoved his feet into his boots and buckled his armor—such as it was—on over his uniform (he couldn't wait until he made First Class and could design his own!) and stuffed his I.D. card into his pocket on his way out the door. No time to wallow in bed today, even if he was on leave for two weeks. He had things to do, Christmas presents to buy! He knew what he was getting for Cloud and for Angeal. He even had an idea about a little something for Genesis, if he could find what he was looking for. He had all his other friends figured out. But he could not, just could _not, _figure out what to get for the General. And, short on time as he was, there was only one thing left to do, loath though he was to cheat.

Zack sighed, and hung his head just a little. Only one thing left to do, indeed. He was going to have to ask the General what he wanted.

* * *

The General, as Zack had suspected, was already up and around, though—admittedly—far from cheerful. Point of fact, he was terrorizing troopers, cadets, and Soldiers alike as he conducted his customary morning inspections of the various barracks, training grounds and rooms, and the few classes already in progress. Which exercise, Zack also suspected, he used to put himself into a more cheerful mood for the rest of the day.

"Morning, Seph!" Zack smiled as he caught up to General Sephiroth in an empty virtual training room on the forty-second floor.

"Lieutenant Fair, I have instructed you at least thirty times to not address me so informally. Must I have you placed on punishment detail again?" Sephiroth growled, running his fingers lightly over the computer equipment in the back of the room, no doubt checking that all was running smoothly and would continue to do so throughout the day. Barring mishap and mayhem, of course.

"I think we're well past ninety at this point, sir," Zack laughed. "Besides, I'm on leave…where's the harm? No one can hear me but you, and I just can't see calling you General Sephiroth all the time. It's too long and stuffy, and everyone needs a nickname! Besides, Seph has a good sound to it."

"A good sound…" Sephiroth shook his head and tweaked one of the controls on the panel before him, adjusting the color content of the virtual system. "I _should_ punish you while you're on leave. You certainly deserve it. However, it would require time and effort on my part, at least in thinking up a suitable punishment, and I don't have any to spare. Instead, I'll come to the point. What are you doing here?"

Zack crossed the room in a series of almost skipping steps and came to a halt at the General's side. "Oh, nothing much. Just a little question for you."

Sephiroth smacked Zack's hand away from the weather panel and glared at him. "So ask."

"What do you want for Christmas?"

Sephiroth blinked. "Christmas?"

"Yeah, Christmas," Zack nodded. "You know, turkey and stuffing and ham and presents, holiday cheer and, oh yeah, presents? I can't think what to get you, and I thought you might have a few ideas I could pick over."

"Lieutenant Fair," Sephiroth muttered, adjusting the buttons on the weather panel himself to encompass the winds common to this area in a winter storm. "I do not celebrate Christmas."

Now it was Zack's turn to blink. "What?"

"I don't," Sephiroth repeated, grinding each syllable to dust between his teeth, "celebrate Christmas."

"Why not?"

Sephiroth sighed and stepped back from the panel, satisfied. However, he was hardly likely to get any more work done until he'd rid himself of the walking aggravation that was Zack Fair. "No time, no family, and no inclination," he ticked the reasons off on his fingers. "Satisfied?"

"No!" Zack burst out. "How can you not celebrate Christmas? Or exchange gifts?"

Sephiroth sighed again. "It's easy to not exchange gifts, Zackary, when you have no one to exchange them with."

"No one's ever given you a Christmas present?" Zack was horrified. And angry.

"No," Sephiroth snarled. "Nor would I want them to. _Now _are you satisfied?"

"I…" Zack bit his lip and looked away. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am. See you later, General. I'm gonna go hit the mess hall and hook myself up with some breakfast."

"You do that, Lieutenant," Sephiroth muttered, scanning the rows of buttons and levers and knobs one last time before turning and heading for the door—the one opposite from the door Zack Fair had disappeared through.

* * *

The low, almost inaudible rumble of sound alerted Angeal Hewley to the danger. He reached out and touched his friend, softly, on the shoulder. "Genesis…he doesn't remember."

Genesis jerked away and melted out of the shadows and into the wide, echoing main area of the virtual training room. He kept his eyes on the walls, and well away from Angeal. "That doesn't make it any easier."

Angeal sighed, and shook his head. "I know. Feels like a nice little stab to the gut, doesn't it?"

Genesis just shrugged and wandered, ghostlike, toward the computer panels, twisting dials and pressing buttons at random, perhaps even pulling at a lever or two. "Why does it hurt like this, Angeal?"

"Because," Angeal murmured, stepping forward to drape his arms over Genesis's almost slender shoulders, knowing the smaller man could easily hold his weight. "He's family."

Genesis nodded, one hand clenching so tightly around the contrast lever that the plastic cracked, revealing the metal glinting underneath.

Angeal stepped back and spun to face the rest of the room. "Well," he drew in a slow, deep breath. "I have an idea."

Genesis cocked one rakish eyebrow, fiddling with a few more buttons, a couple more knobs and levers. "Oh?"

"Yes." A smile began its slow journey across Angeal's face. "Come on. Let's get going."

* * *

"Hey."

It was a buzz. An annoying hiss of air on air, and hardly a word at all.

Cloud paused and looked behind him. The corridor was empty. Shrugging, he turned and continued walking toward the hallway that would take him to the barracks that held his company of cadets. It was a few hours past dawn, but he was still a little sleepy, and still more than a little dazed. His imagination always played cruel tricks on him when he felt like this. But Cloud had only taken a couple of steps when he heard it again, louder this time.

"Hey. Cloud."

Narrowing his eyes, Cloud stopped, his last step echoing hollowly across the grey walls of the building. This was no hint of breath on air. No, it was a whisper, a deep, husky whisper he suspected he knew all too well. With an inward sigh, Cloud cast his eyes up to the ceiling. He didn't bother looking around again; there wouldn't be anything to see. "What do you want, Zack? And where in all _Hell _are you?"

A shameless chuckle in response, then…

Cloud's eyes widened slightly as a gleaming silver vent cover was shifted out of its place among the white ceiling tiles and Zack's head slid through the gap, bright violet eyes peering mischievously--upside down--at Cloud.

"How did you even know I was walking by here?" Cloud asked, not quite daring to risk the question he really wanted answered--why in the godforsaken world was Zack crawling around in the ventilation system in the first place?

Zack grinned. "Hey, come on, Spike. I'd know your footsteps anywhere."

"Umm…I don't think that's really a compliment. More like…stalking, I guess."

Zack didn't say anything. He just kept beaming that blinding grin down at Cloud as the blood filled his face, lending him a strangely attractive red flush.

Cloud cleared his throat and looked away, probably flushing a little himself. "Zack, what do you want?"

Zack's eyes gleamed, and the grin turned sneaky, slippery. "Come up here."

"What?!"

"Come. Up. Here."

"Why?" Cloud's voice was flat, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Any plan of Zack's was bound to get him in trouble. The last great idea Zack had come up with had almost gotten Cloud court-martialed. The only thing that had saved him had been the General's interference.

"Because I need your help, Spike. I'm in a bad way, here!"

"I can see that, of course, but…Zack…"

"Oh, come on, Cloud, it's for a good cause…" Zack's eyes were wide and intentionally innocent, his voice soft and coaxing.

Cloud was getting a headache. "I don't want to know."

"It's for the General."

Disbelieving silence. "The General asked you to crawl around in the ceiling?"

"Well, no…not exactly."

"Zack…" Cloud tried, again, to tell Zack he was leaving, that he _could not_ get involved in whatever Gods-damned scheme Zack had gotten himself stewed in this time, but then footsteps were echoing from around the corner at the end of the hall. Before Cloud could even blink, Zack was leaning down, his strong hands seizing Cloud beneath his arms and jerking him upwards and through the gap in the ceiling tiles.

When the vent cover was safely back in place and the footsteps had faded into the distance, Zack turned to Cloud, his mako-bright eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Thanks."

"For what?" Cloud whispered, desperation making his words razor sharp, and slightly shrill. "I don't want anything to do with this!"

"Aww, sure you do, Spike."

"No. Really, I don't."

"But…Sephiroth. I just found out a few hours ago, Cloud."

Despite himself, Cloud found his interest growing at the mention of Sephiroth's name and the almost melancholy tone of Zack's voice. But he wasn't going to ask. He wasn't. Cloud ground his teeth together. "What about Sephiroth?"

At that, Cloud could feel the satisfied grin spreading across Zack's face. "Well…" Zack drawled, and there was real concern beneath that nonchalant murmur. "Sephiroth's never celebrated Christmas before, never even been given a single present. Can you believe that?"

"Um…" Cloud said.

"I know, right? Anyway, so I had an idea I wanted to do something for him this year. Something special, so he knows we love him. That _somebody_ loves him." Zack's voice grew quiet, husky. "Will you help me?"

Cloud bit his lip. No Christmas? Life in Nibelheim had been hard growing up. He and his mother had been something like outcasts, after all, but his mother had tried hard, and even Cloud had had Christmas trees and little gifts and _her_. Sephiroth was cold. Cloud had thought so since he'd first gotten here and really met the man, but it hadn't occurred to him that Sephiroth, having grown up in ShinRa Company, wouldn't have had any of those things. No wonder he was cold. Not just because of Christmas, of course, but because, well…everyone needs someone to care about them, maybe even think to bring them a gift every once in a while. Cloud took a deep breath. He would do anything for General Sephiroth. Really. Yes, he would even allow himself to be dragged into yet another of Zack's half-cooked conspiracies. "Yeah." Cloud licked his lips. "I'll help."

"Great." There was some shuffling and the clang of something heavy against the metal of the ventilation pipe they were sitting in. There was a click, and the ethereal white light of a small flashlight filled the small space. Zack grinned.

Cloud gulped reflexively.

"Sephiroth's office is that way," Zack murmured, pointing over Cloud's shoulder, knowing navigating the ventilation system was a lot different from navigating the hallways themselves. He fished around in his back pocket for a moment, then held something small up to the light.

Cloud groaned when he saw what it was. It was bubblegum. A small pack of strawberry bubblegum wound around with a bright blue ribbon. "_That's_ your gift for the General? Bubblegum?"

"Well," Zack shrugged, a little sheepish. "The first one. I didn't have much time to get this together, and this was the only thing I really had close at hand. I'm thinking we should give him twelve gifts in all, you know, like the Twelve Days of Christmas song? One each day 'til Christmas gets here. Seems like a plan, right? If we can _think _of twelve, that is. Hell, I couldn't even think of _one _this morning! But…I was thinking that maybe we should give him things he's never had before. He has plenty of shiny gadgets, but I'm pretty damn sure he's never had something as simple as a pack of gum before. It's different, you know? Fun…" Zack's voice trailed off into nothing as he stared at Cloud through the vague light of the flashlight. "Uh…what do you think?"

Cloud shrugged. "As good and suicidal an idea as any, I guess." He squinted and leaned closer to Zack. There was a tiny slip of paper attached to the gum. "What's the note say?"

Zack smiled smugly. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Zack!"

"No way, Spike. You take me for an idiot? If I tell you, you'll make me re-write it, and I only just figured out what I wanted it to say…"

"Fine," Cloud muttered, annoyed. "What do you need me for?"

"Well," Zack drawled again, shifting nervously and causing a scraping, ringing sound that practically made Cloud's ears bleed. Oooooh, someone was going to hear them for sure. "Seph's not in his office right now. In fact, he took a chopper out a couple hours ago, headed out to check on…well, something, I imagine. The point is, we can deliver this now, but we can't go through the door because the secretary will never let us in if Seph's not there and I don't want to cause a big fuss or leave it at the front desk. He won't like a lot of attention; it'll only piss him off and I'm already on his bad side today. Now, there's an easy solution for all that. Problem is, I'm too big to fit through the vent into his office, so, uh, I need you to drop down and stick it on his desk for me."

Cloud didn't answer for a long time. Finally, he shifted slightly, just slightly. "Let me get this straight, Zack. You want me to break into the General's office, _mess_ with his _desk_, and leave him notes that are probably covered in insulting, even suggestive messages?"

"Yup."

"All right." Cloud sighed and held out his hand. For Sephiroth. He would do this for Sephiroth. And if the General killed him…well, he was bound to die sometime anyway, right? Cloud smiled. "Hand it over."

Zack just grinned.

* * *

Sephiroth closed the door of his office slowly behind him and stood, silently, just inside the doorway. He was exhausted. The inspections, the flight, the mission… He wanted to crawl into his bed and call for a masseur. Sadly, however, he still had a full afternoon of work ahead of him. Sephiroth took a breath. And froze. Someone had been in his office, and it hadn't been his secretary. Scanning the room carefully, Sephiroth's eyes missed nothing, and yet, nothing was so much as a millimeter out of place.

But…the air smelled different. Amid the ever-present hint of leather and metal and the clinical scent of industrial cleaning products was a faint touch of…vanilla and cinnamon?

Sephiroth nodded, relaxing marginally. That smell was a familiar one, though he'd met the cadet it belonged to a scant few times since the boy had arrived here. Cloud Strife. No Turks, none of Hojo's sniveling operatives. Not even his secretary with more paperwork for him to look over.

Then sense reasserted itself.

Cloud Strife had been in his office. Sephiroth let out an almost soundless sigh. If Cloud Strife was involved, there could hardly be a doubt as to who was behind the intrusion. He'd thought he was finished with Zack Fair for the day…

Trepidation flaring in his stomach despite his cool, collected appearance, Sephiroth strode across the room to his desk and settled himself determinedly in the leather chair. Whatever Cloud had been doing in his office, he didn't want to know, and he hoped he would never have to find out. Perhaps if he ignored the entire thing, it would just…go away. Breathing out a short, hot breath and brushing a strand of silver hair from his eyes, Sephiroth reached for the stack of hated paperwork that was always waiting for him. He glanced at the surface of his desk, searching absently for a pen, but there wasn't one.

Suppressing an irritated growl, Sephiroth pulled back the drawer to his left, but when he stuck his hand inside, his fingers encountered something smooth, rectangular, and…Sephiroth frowned…slightly squishy.

So.

This was what Cloud had been doing in his office.

Sephiroth pulled the object out.

And stared. It was a blindingly pink package scrawled with green lettering and wrapped with a blue ribbon tied into a crude bow. Sephiroth arched an elegant eyebrow as he untied the ribbon and set it aside with the note. He read the lettering on the little package. _Bubblegum? Children's bubblegum? What in Odin's name…_

Brows furrowing in confusion, Sephiroth flipped the note over and studied Zack Fair's untidy scrawl. _Don't ask, just blow._

Sephiroth stared. _Don't ask…_

And he remembered the conversation he'd had with Lieutenant Fair this morning…and groaned. Obviously Lieutenant Fair had completely missed the point, and now…now he must feel some sort of, of _pity_, for Sephiroth.

Sephiroth growled. He was going to murder them both. Yes. That was exactly what he was going to do.

But the fingers of his left hand toyed with the smooth material of the bubblegum package, ripping the seal even as red images of Zack, slashed from groin to shoulder and bleeding profusely flashed and rippled through his mind.

Absently, almost reflexively, Sephiroth popped a piece of chewy, tart-sweet gum into his mouth, crumpling the waxy white wrapper in his fist.

He chuckled, and smiled a tight little smile.

Christmas, indeed.


	2. Day Two: Spin

**Twelve Days 'til Christmas  
**Day Two: Spin  
By S.J. Kohl

**Author's Note: **Not so much required on this chapter than the last, just a little bit of tweaking. Hoping to get Chapter 3 up tonight, but don't count on it. Everybody and his nephew seems to be passing out or dying or setting things on fire tonight and won't leave me in peace enough to be productive!

* * *

Sephiroth didn't blink, didn't so much as twitch a muscle. In fact, he hardly seemed to breathe for at least an hour as he stared at the…well, he supposed it was a gift box…that had been slammed down onto the dark wood surface of his desk. Brody Carlisle, Sephiroth's imminently capable and unshakable secretary, had carried the box into the office—panting heavily beneath the apparent weight—early this morning. The box itself was large, roughly two feet in width on all sides, and one in height, and it was wrapped in paper of a cheerful, glittering green. The box's top, on the other hand, was covered in brilliant red wrapping paper, inscribed with the words "To Seph", scrawled in, of all colors, purple.

Purple.

All things considered, Sephiroth was hardly prepared to lift the lid. Only the gods knew what he might find inside…

Still, the gum, while hardly appropriate for high profile military personnel, was completely harmless. Unless, of course, it became tangled in one's hair, an experience Sephiroth hoped never to repeat. Now, finally, did Sephiroth breathe. And move. He extended one long, leather-sheathed arm and had just rested his fingertips on the lid of the box when his intercom system lit up with a conspicuous crackle.

Crackle, shift, aggravating _beep _of pressed buttons. Then, "Sir?"

The voice, heard through the archaic electronic system, was tinny and artificial, though the speaker's usual voice was actually quite deep and melodic, even soothing, which was one reason the General intended to always keep the man on staff. Sephiroth sighed and shifted his hand over to the "Talk" button on the intercom system. "Yes, Brody?"

Another crackle, another annoying _beep. _"General Sephiroth?"

Suppressing another sigh, Sephiroth pressed the button again, his teeth heavily clenched. "Yes. Brody."

"Sir, you have a visitor."

"Who?"

"It's a…" Crackle. Static. "…ide. Sir."

Sephiroth growled. "Whoever it is, send them in, Brody."

Crackle. Silence. "He…" Hesitation. "He wants you to come out here, sir."

Sephiroth drummed his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. Wanted him to come out there? _Who _wanted him to come out there? Why couldn't they just walk into the office, like any normal person would do? The thought crossed his mind that it could be Fair standing out there, but no. Fair simply barged in through locked doors more often than not and was hardly likely to possess the patience required to wait for Sephiroth to come to _him_ for a change. Resolutely holding firm against the first stirrings of headache, Sephiroth rose from the comfort of his padded chair (though padded walls might be nice, come to think of it…) and strode forward to wrench the door open and peer out into the entryway at his secretary and his…visitor. "Genesis?"

Genesis Rhapsodos turned from Brody Carlisle's impeccable mahogany desk to face General Sephiroth in a swirl of red leather, dipping into an almost mocking, almost respectful half-bow. "General."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "Was it really necessary to have me actually leave my office? You could have come inside."

Genesis smiled. It was a smile that meant trouble, and well Sephiroth knew it. It wasn't the same as Zack's trouble smile. No, this one was sly, sneaky, like the assassin hiding behind the curtain waiting for the target—apparently one too stupid to check the curtains when he entered a room. Genesis tossed his hand in a flippant gesture, canines gleaming a little in the fluorescent light. "No need. I don't want to take up much of your valuable time, General. Besides, I'm on my way out. Received mission orders this morning."

Sephiroth nodded. "Northeastern sector?"

Genesis laughed. "Right, as usual. Anyway, I just stopped to give you this." He produced a small book so quickly Sephiroth couldn't quite see where he got it from, and held it out to Sephiroth with an artistic flourish.

Sephiroth stared at it for a moment, hoping it wasn't more of that _Loveless_ drivel Genesis had been on about for so long, before reaching out to take it, gingerly, with one gloved hand.

Genesis smiled again. "I'm sure you'll find it…enlightening."

"Yes," Sephiroth murmured, glancing curiously at Genesis before he turned to stalk back into his office. "I'm sure I will."

Settling himself comfortably, again, in the padded leather chair behind the gleaming, polished dark wood of his desk, Sephiroth stripped off one flexible leather glove and ran his fingertips over the red leather cover of the book. It was soft, supple. Finely worked, and very expensive, leather. But there was no title, and no author. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed again as he studied the book. It appeared to be neither old, nor new. Just a book. A journal, perhaps? Or a hand-printed copy? Warily, Sephiroth opened the cover.

_For General Sephiroth, First Class, employed of Shin-Ra Electric Power Company, by the hand of Commander Angeal Hewley, First Class, and the mind of Genesis Rhapsodos, G Class. _

_May these words find you hale and whole, and may they bring you knowledge, and peace._

Sephiroth stared. Knowledge and peace?

He turned to the following page, and began to read. _"I know you…"_

A shrill beeping, blasting, crashing sound, as of a child's video game of aliens and blaster guns, arose from the box still perched solidly on the edge of the desk.

Sephiroth looked up and glared, but the noise didn't subside. Slowly, deliberately, he closed the book, set it on the opposite corner of the desk, and flipped the red-wrapped lid of the box onto the floor. Inside was…Styrofoam. An entire box full of sea green Styrofoam packing peanuts. Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, remembering Brody's show of lugging the box into the room this morning. Evidently his dependable, unshakable assistant wasn't quite as stolid as he'd seemed. Sifting through the peanuts for the source of the abominable noise, Sephiroth tossed them carelessly onto the floor. Brody could certainly afford to pick them up; let him bring along his newfound sense of humor and make a game of it.

Finally, in the very bottom of the box, Sephiroth found it…whatever it was.

Peeling away the layers of thin paper and ribbon that the red, blue, and green lights blinked persistently through, Sephiroth finally uncovered it.

Disks.

Two small, colored disks, joined in the middle by a thin metal rod, around which was wound a long white string. The lights and sounds shut off when he touched the disks, and Sephiroth relished the silence. A grand gift, indeed.

Setting the disks back in the box and hoping the noise didn't start up again, Sephiroth pressed the "Talk" button one more time. "Brody?"

"Yes, General?" The secretary responded promptly, his voice crackling somewhat clearly into the room, for a change. _Oh, the wonders of modern technology._

Shaking his head, Sephiroth pushed the button again. "Locate Cloud Strife for me."

Another crackle. "What was that, Sir?"

"Cloud. Strife." Sephiroth almost growled. "Find him. And bring him to me."

"Find who?"

Sephiroth gritted his teeth. He would not lose his temper. It wasn't Brody's fault that the intercom system Shinra had seen fit to provide for him was practically an antique. "Strife. Cadet Cloud Strife."

There was a long pause. And then finally…another crackle. "Yes, Sir. It'll just be a moment."

Sephiroth sat in blessed silence for a few minutes, wondering idly as he stared at the box on the corner of his desk whether Cloud would be sent to Sephiroth's office or to three years on the chain gang outside Junon. All in all it was a probably a tossup, considering the wondrous reliability of Shin-Ra communications systems.

At long last, however, the door opened and Cloud did indeed walk in, closing the door quietly behind him and almost leaning back against it. He stared at Sephiroth for a moment before clearing his throat. "You sent for me…sir?"

Sephiroth leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me, Cloud. Has Lieutenant Fair completely lost his mind?"

"Well…yes, sir," Cloud burst out, startled into answering without thinking. He cleared his throat. "At least…I've always thought so."

Sephiroth leaned back a bit and studied Cloud through half-closed eyes. That wasn't quite the answer he'd been expecting. "You believe he's quite insane?"

Cloud nodded.

"Ah," Sephiroth nodded as well, and waved a hand at the open box and its redoubtable contents. "Well then, I guess that explains this."

Cloud's eyes were wide as he stepped further into the room to examine the box, but as he stood just before the General's desk and stared down at Sephiroth's present, he slowly, ever so slowly, shook his head.

Sephiroth sighed. He'd learned during his few encounters with the cadet that Strife was...different. He was shy and diffident, a trifle too silent on most occasions, which wasn't unusual in and of itself, but his mind certainly seemed to work in an unusual manner. He seemed to know everything and nothing all at once, and Sephiroth could never quite know which it was at any given time. Cloud was a mystery, an intriguing puzzle that Sephiroth was quite determined to solve. Only he wasn't sure it _was_ possible to fully figure out Cloud Strife. He was unpredictable, in a far different way than Genesis and Lieutenant Fair were unpredictable. Sephiroth leaned forward again, capturing Cloud's eyes with his own. "Zack's being insane doesn't explain this gift?"

"No." Cloud looked down. "It's…from both of us, sir, and…it was my idea."

"And the packaging?"

Cloud threw his hands up as he looked back up, his eyes wide and starkly blue. "That…was all Zack."

"What a surprise." Sephiroth stared at the box, and then he looked at Cloud. Finally, he shrugged and rose to his feet, walking around the desk to stand beside Cloud. "All right, cadet. I know for a fact that you, at least, are fairly sane. So…what is this thing?"

Slowly, almost reverently, Cloud lifted the set of disks from the box and held them up so Sephiroth could see them better. They were red, mostly, with swirls of yellow and green, and little raised bumps for the lights that had lit the surface earlier.

Sephiroth examined it looked back at Cloud expectantly.

"It's a yo-yo, sir."

"A yo…yo?"

Cloud nodded emphatically. "I used to have one of these when I was a kid. Watch."

Sephiroth watched, fascinated, as Cloud slipped his middle finger into the small loop at the end of the string and sent the disks spinning down toward the floor before snapping them back up into his hand. The lights and sounds kicked in as the disks began to move, making them into a swirling blur of color and sound as they whirred through the air. Cloud sent them flying down again, repeating this move several times before flinging the yo-yo into a wide arch and then pulling it back into his palm with a stinging slap.

The disks fell silent, and Cloud held them out to Sephiroth. "Here. You try."

Delicately, Sephiroth took the toy and slipped the loop of string over the middle finger of his left hand, as he'd seen Cloud do. He glanced uncertainly at Cloud, feeling truly awkward for the first time in years. Shaking his head, he sent the toy spinning down to the end of the string, but when he tried to call it up again, it refused to move, hanging limply a couple of inches above the ground. Sephiroth's cheeks burned with embarrassment as he tried, again, to snap the disks back up into his hand.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Cloud murmured, taking Sephiroth's hand and pulling the string from Sephiroth's finger. "Nobody gets it the first time."

"But I…"

Cloud shook his head as he wound the string back around the yo-yo disks. He handed the yo-yo back to Sephiroth. "Try again. You just need to pop it a little, right before it gets to the end of the string."

His eyes dark and serious, Sephiroth slipped the loop back over his finger and took a firm grip on the yo-yo. Then, taking a deep breath, he released it, pulling up on his hand with a little jerk just as the disk reached the end of its slack.

The yo-yo spun back up into his hand in a blur of red and blue light.

Sephiroth smiled, embarrassment, technological failures, and even paperwork forgotten for the moment. No wonder people liked these things.

"That's great!" Cloud smiled at Sephiroth, cheeks flushed with excitement. He bit his lip. "I, uh…I'd better get back to class."

Sephiroth watched after the boy as he crossed the room, nearly biting down on his own lip. "Cloud!"

Cloud stuck his head back through the door. "Sir?"

Sephiroth smiled again, shyly, as he snapped the yo-yo up and down, up and down. "Thank you."

Cloud only shrugged, and smiled again. "Hey…General?"

"Yes?"

Cloud smile stretched into a grin. "Only ten more days 'til Christmas."


	3. Day Three: Pop

**Twelve Days 'til Christmas  
**Day Three: Pop  
By S.J. Kohl

**Author's Note: **Look for a delay of about four days before the next chapter, as I enjoy my days off from work.

* * *

Winking at the General's secretary as he dodged and laughed his way past the man on his way to Sephiroth's office, Zack grinned, feeling giddy. And a little nervous. He shifted the box he was carrying into one hand, balancing it delicately on his hip as he knocked on the door, again winking at the secretary, who was at once glaring at him and trying to raise the General on some kind of conference system. "Seph?" Zack called out, figuring he'd save the man the trouble. "Can I come in?"

He winced as a loud pop sounded from behind the door. Whatever General Sephiroth was doing in there, it was bound to mean bad things for someone.

Zack put his ear up to the door and knocked again. "Seph?"

* * *

General Sephiroth ignored the knock. He knew that knock, even without the attendant voice. Besides, Brody's calm, collected—if static-riddled—call had warned him Fair was coming down the hall and unlikely to stop at the secretary's desk for an announcement as protocol demanded. As usual. Sephiroth was actually surprised the boy was bothering to knock at all. Perhaps he was practicing his manners this week. Instead of answering the insistent knock, Sephiroth leaned back in his leather chair and propped his feet up on the desk. He chewed his gum thoughtfully for a second before blowing a bubble and sucking it back in with a loud pop.

Sephiroth stared ruefully at the mountain of paperwork stacked up in the In box on the corner of his desk. Then he shot a glance at the Out box, and sighed. He'd barely made a dent in the day's paperwork, and it was nearly noon. He'd been working nonstop since he'd finished his morning rounds.

Sephiroth blew another bubble.

_Pop. _

Being a Soldier was supposed to be exciting. Being the General of an army even more so. And sometimes it was. There were wars and missions and dangerous, life-threatening battles and assignments, and sometimes Sephiroth wanted nothing more than to leave all of this and become a hermit on a mountaintop, or some such nonsense. But it also seemed to him, sometimes, that reading reports and authorizing employee actions was more interminable than three days on any battlefield. Read, sign. Read, sign. Read, don't sign. Read, revise, sign. That was how his days were going right now. Of course, if he were inclined to be charitable—which he wasn't—Sephiroth would admit to himself that, while on a battlefield, he was likely to wish for the silence of his office and his paperwork cliffs.

_Pop. _

"Seph?" A little muffled, coming through the closed door.

Sephiroth sighed. The knocking hadn't faded. It was loud, intrusive.

Endless.

Chewing thoughtfully for a moment, Sephiroth popped another bubble with an inner thrill of glee. He shifted his feet on his desk, crossing one on top of the other. He sighed again, aggrieved. "Come in if you must, Lieutenant Fair, but you'll have to manage the door yourself. I'm busy and I've given Brody permission to ignore you."

* * *

On the other side of the door, Zack rolled his eyes. Like any of that was news. Grunting slightly, he shifted to the side and carefully turned the doorknob, leaning against the door to push it open. Gently. He did _not _want to drop this box. _That would be a good 50 gil down the drain. Not to mention walking all this way with this damned…heavy…box. _The door flew open all at once, and Zack stumbled backward into the room, clutching at the box as he struggled to catch his balance. When he finally managed to steady himself, he straightened his back, knelt down, and set the box carefully on the floor.

_Pop._

Sephiroth eyed his erstwhile deliveryman suspiciously. Lieutenant Zack Fair was a Soldier, 2nd Class. He was, in some ways, Sephiroth's assistant. Scatterbrained and intolerable as he could be off duty, Lieutenant Fair happened to be invaluable on a battlefield, if one could turn his energy to something other than attempting to cut down every opponent on his own. That value was precisely the reason Sephiroth had promoted him to such a high rank at such a young age. That, and Angeal Hewley's recommendation. However, things never did seem to turn out well for Sephiroth when Fair involved himself in Sephiroth's personal life, or his business affairs. Which was why he was only Sephiroth's assistant when a mission was involved. And the General intended to keep it that way. _Yes_, Sephiroth thought, suppressing a shudder, _Especially after that affair with Cloud Strife and Captain Mayfair's wife last month_. Cadet Strife had almost been court-martialed over that one, and General Sephiroth with him. Sephiroth shifted his stare to the box on the floor. It looked simple enough—plain brown cardboard. No wrapping paper or shiny ribbons this time. No ticking of hidden bombs, no blaring lights or interminable sounds. Perhaps it was just a delivery.

Somehow, Sephiroth doubted it.

While Fair had his back turned, fumbling with a pair of scissors and struggling to cut the tape across the top of the box, Sephiroth shifted his feet back onto the floor and reached for the next report on the stack Brody had placed in his In box this morning and held it up to the light for a moment. An order for 500 troopers to be packed up and shipped out by the following morning, to a sector in the Southeast where a high class merchant was demanding a high class—and, apparently, conspicuous—escort for himself and his goods. Sephiroth chewed his gum thoughtfully for a second, but this was just too much. He was young, but he was a talented General. He had served Shin-Ra well for many years, despite his age, and, frankly, so had the troopers. And yet, here he sat, supposedly authorizing the movement of 500 troops to satisfy the inflated vanity of one man nine days before Christmas, for which none of those 500 troopers would be able to return home as they had planned.

It was an angry _pop_ this time. Sephiroth nodded appreciatively and leaned back again, propping his legs back up on the table. He ripped the order in half, then ripped it again. _Oops. Must have gotten lost in the mail…_

Zack leaned back on his knees at the loud shredding sound that followed the popping noise. Slowly, he turned around to face Sephiroth. Zack stared. Blinked. Sat down on the floor with a soft thump. The Great General Sephiroth was leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on his desk, popping strawberry bubblegum and shredding presumably important paperwork. "Huh," Zack grunted. "Guess now I know what you really do in here all day."

Sephiroth popped another bubble and threw the shredded remains of the troop movement orders in Zack's general direction. He glanced at Zack. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Uh huh." Zack folded his legs under him and picked up a rough square of shredded paper. He started folding it idly.

Sephiroth was feeling generous today. In fact, he was feeling quite wonderful after that little paper-shredding exercise. Light. He had entertainment; he had stress relief, and he refused to ruin all of that by even the thought of something so petty as paperwork. Therefore, he would think about Zack Fair instead. Much the easier since the boy happened to be on the floor in front of him. Sephiroth stared down at Zack through the V formed by his crossed boots. The younger man was humming softly to himself, staring down at the floor as his hands moved over the paper, looking quick and skilled even as they created seemingly random folds in the typewritten sheet. Sephiroth smiled almost fondly. There was something interesting about Zack Fair. He was loud and inconsiderate, brash and even uncontrolled. He was, in short, Cloud Strife's complete and total opposite, but there was still something about him that intrigued Sephiroth. Zack was…well, Zack was insane. Hell, he was sitting on the floor of Sephiroth's office folding shredded paper like he had nothing better to do and nothing that needed to be done. But for all his insanity, Lieutenant Fair was really actually frighteningly intelligent, and he would make a damn good 1st Class someday, was _already_ a damn good Soldier. And his was a good kind of insane, most days, even if Sephiroth _didn't_ want the boy involved in his personal life. Sephiroth sighed and balled up another piece of paper before chucking it at Fair's head.

Zack looked up. "Yeah?"

"Sir," Sephiroth corrected automatically. "Lieutenant Fair, what are you doing?"

Zack held up the sheet of paper, which was now a mess of folded creases. "Folding paper."

"I can see _that._" Sephiroth watched as Zack went back to his paper-folding. "What's in the box, Fair?"

Zack shrugged. "Guess you'll have to open it and see."

Sighing again, Sephiroth shifted in his chair, setting his legs back on the floor and leaning forward to examine the box sitting halfway across his office. It was big and might actually be heavy this time. Sephiroth leaned back. He tapped a finger on the arm of his chair. "Zack."

Zack didn't even look up. "Yeah, boss man?"

"Why are you doing this?"

Zack just continued folding.

Not entirely certain what that meant—Zack was _never _silent—Sephiroth chewed his gum for a minute and idly blew another bubble, smiling with satisfaction when it burst with a loud pop. This gum stuff was pretty good. He wasn't much on the flavor, but the bubbles were nice. Kind of an instant stress relief. He could always imagine someone's brainless head exploding with just that sound. He stared at the stack of papers on his desk, wishing they would explode as easily. _A secretary and two assistants and somehow I'm still stuck with hours upon hours of paperwork. How am I supposed to actually get anything done around here if I'm always stuck behind a desk? _Sephiroth glanced at Fair again. The boy was staring up at him now, smiling sneakily with one hand clutched into a loose fist in his lap. Sephiroth closed his eyes, wondering if he would ever understand this kid. _Probably not. _He opened his eyes again. "So?"

Zack's smile turned into a grin as he squashed a wave of affection for the grumpy man behind the desk. General Sephiroth was kind of cute sometimes, little did know it. Zack's grin widened, but he didn't say what he wanted to say. Instead, he pulled himself to his feet, walked around Sephiroth's desk, and pressed the paper into the General's hand. Then he leaned down, kissed Sephiroth on the cheek, and skittered away before the General had a chance to react, making sure to kick the box open on his way out of the room.

Sephiroth stared down at his open palm, confused and slightly awed, as the door slammed shut. It was a bunny. A messy, slightly crumpled white paper bunny speckled with black, typewritten letters. Sephiroth raised his other hand to his cheek and wiped away a bit of moisture left from Zack's lips. _Why a bunny? _Unable to answer his own question—questions—he looked up at the open box across the room.

He laughed. For the first time in years, General Sephiroth really, truly laughed.

Inside the box was a paper shredder.

Rising to his feet, Sephiroth set the bunny down on his desk and knelt in front of the box. He popped a huge bubble with the middle finger of his left hand and plucked a little card out of the open box. It was small and white, with little, silver-embossed bells around the elaborate printed words _General Sephiroth_. Strife's handiwork, no doubt. Sephiroth flipped the card over. Written inside were three messages_._

The first, in small, neat handwriting Sephiroth recognized as Cadet Strife's, read simply, _Nine days. _

_Yes, _Sephiroth thought to himself, tapping the card against his cheek and staring down at the shredder resting innocently in its box, _Nine days until Christmas. _But he wondered, as he plucked up the heavy shredder and made his way back to his desk with it, what the message really meant.

Sephiroth shoved his Out box onto the floor and plopped the shredder down in its place before taking a look at the card's second and third messages.

Unlike the final message, the second gave Sephiroth another, regrettable look at Zack's untidy scrawl. _Take a break, boss man. _

"Perhaps it is time for a break," Sephiroth murmured as he set the card down on the desk and plugged the shredder into the wall. He took a perverse delight in fiddling with the buttons until the soft, pleasant _whir _of machinery filled the air. Sephiroth's eyes fell on the paper bunny on the corner of his desk, his fingers twitching slightly. What the hell did it mean? He picked it up and stared at the shredder.

_Sorry, thumper. This is not your day. ._

But the crisp, angular, unrecognized handwriting of the third message came to his mind, a clear vision.

_Have mercy._

Sephiroth sighed and set the bunny back down on the desk.

The reports would be more fun to shred.


	4. Day Four: Blush

**Twelve Days 'til Christmas**  
Day Four: Blush  
By S.J. Kohl

**Author's Note: **Okay, I lied. I managed to get another chapter done before time to go home this morning. But shift's over in less than 2 hours, and I have a lot of shit to do before I can go home, so I suppose I won't get anymore done until I come back on uh…Tuesday night. Yeah, you can expect an update probably reeealllly early Wednesday morning.

* * *

"You _are!" _

Cloud blushed. He hated that about himself. He wasn't _that_ shy, or that easily embarrassed. Not really. But every time someone even looked at him sideways his face lit up like a lantern at midnight, pointing him out for all the world to stare at. He glared at Zack, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "I am _not!" _

"Don't lie to me, Spike." Zack had that menacing growl in his voice, the one he only got when something was really bothering him. "I can tell you are!"

"Oh, you can, can you? Well…" Cloud growled right back, taking one step forward, putting himself firmly into Zack's space and not at all worried about pissing off a 2nd Class Soldier. "Who's the one who's been making him little paper bunny rabbits?"

"Hey!" It was Zack's turn to blush. "That was purely a friendship thing!"

"You. Kissed. Him." Anger spaced the words out and out and out.

"On the cheek!"

"Doesn't matter, Zack. A kiss is a kiss, and you definitely kissed him!"

"How do you know? You weren't even there!"

"And who was it that showed me how to get to the vent in the ceiling?"

Zack gasped. "You were _spying _on him?"

"No!" Cloud was indignant. "I was spying on _you!" _

"I can't believe you were spying on him—"

"I can't believe you were _kissing _him—"

"—when I'm the one who…" They both finished at the same time. They trailed off at the same time as well, staring at one another, faces flushed and sheepish.

Zack cleared his throat, running a hand through his unruly hair. "So you…"

Cloud bit his lip. "Yeah. And you?"

"Yeah." Zack nodded. They stared at one another warily for a few minutes, neither one of them exactly sure what to do or say. They couldn't really battle it out, after all. It was no contest who would win in a brawl or a duel, and what else was there besides a basic 'every man for himself' kind of attitude? Zack coughed. "So…what should we do?"

Cloud gave a helpless shrug. "Set up present number four?"

"Yeah…okay," Zack nodded, his face still red.

* * *

Sephiroth popped a bubble and leaned back against the wall that had kept him safely hidden from the view of Zack Fair and Cloud Strife. This was his last piece of gum, and he definitely needed it right now. He'd only learned three things from that entire conversation. One: he needed to have Brody have the ventilation shafts on his side of the building proofed against intrusion. Two: Cloud Strife had been spending far too much time with Lieutenant Fair. And three: both Fair and Strife seemed to have developed some sort of…infatuation…for him.

What in all possible hells was he supposed to do about that?

Fair…and Strife?

Oh, they were both interesting persons in and of themselves, of course, but…no. First of all, they were both the type of person likely to be looking for some type of _relationship_, which was nothing Sephiroth was prepared to offer. A night of pleasure, sure. Even a brief fling, or a long term understanding in the way of physical companionship. Sephiroth had entertained a number of relationships along those lines over the years. And why not? He wanted and needed sex as much as the next man, and he'd crossed paths with quite a few men who felt the same. Not women, though. No, Sephiroth had never wanted to chance that a child might result and the Shin-Ra scientists find out about it. As it was, they were under the mistaken impression that Sephiroth was deficient, that he couldn't perform with women. He would have it remain that way. As for Strife and Fair, however, there was just too much in the way of complication. He had no time or desire for the demands of an actual relationship; his job required him to work closely with Fair, and Cloud was both underage and a cadet, and, therefore, quite off-limits in any case.

Sephiroth grimaced and blew another bubble. Was it possible he could just ignore the whole thing? After all, he hadn't meant to overhear the conversation. He'd just happened to be on the grounds, walking past one of the walled off Soldier practice arenas on his way to the stables to saddle Kaedryn. Zack and Cloud had apparently been out on the practice field, for whatever reason, and he'd caught the tail end of their conversation. No, it hadn't been intentional, but it had certainly been interesting. Not to mention confusing. And he didn't feel toobad. After all, Cloud had been spying on _him. _The rest of it had been a trick to figure out, since he wasn't entirely sure _they_ knew what they were talking about, as roundabout as that conversation had been, and as vague. But it seemed fairly clear, after a bit of thought.

Or perhaps a bit of drink…

Shaking his head, Sephiroth finally pushed away from the wall and continued walking, blowing another bubble as he wound his way to the stables in which the chocobos were kept. He took his time, checking the groups of Soldiers and troopers on the various practice grounds, making notes on the progress, or lack of it, of certain individuals. It didn't really matter. He would deal with the situation if he needed to, but it would likely work itself out if he left it long enough. These sorts of infatuations tended not to last if they weren't encouraged. Sephiroth should know. He'd certainly dealt with enough lovesick cadets mooning over his pictures and posters over the years, after all. Traffic on the grounds was lighter than usual, for which the General was grateful. Most of the trainees and cadets were off on overnight expeditions and the remaining classes—except for Cloud's class, evidently—were studying indoors for the day. There wasn't much going on outside away from the army practice grounds. There were a few sentries, and a couple of off duty Soldiers prowling around, but for the most part Sephiroth was alone, which meant the stables would be...

Sephiroth scowled as he drew close to the open stable doors.

There were people inside.

He could hear them talking. It was a pity, really. He would rather they'd been empty. The chocobos didn't need constant tending, after all, so there wasn't an attendant on hand every moment of the day, especially since all Soldiers were imminently capable of saddling their own mounts, and a lot of the chocobos were out right now anyway, patrolling with their riders.

Sephiroth sighed. This was obviously not his day. But as he stepped into the shadowed doorway of the stable, his scowl shifted to curiosity.

He knew those voices—Cloud and Zack…again.

Sephiroth felt, upon reflection, that he should have expected that. He poked his head through the doorway at the sound of Kaedryn's indignant squawk.

"Whose bright idea was this, anyway?" Zack grumbled, standing at the door to Kaedryn's stall, the back of which had a waist high door out into a grassy paddock, which Kaedryn was perfectly capable of opening as an escape, should he desire it.

Sephiroth tensed as Zack stuck his arm into the stall for Kaedryn's inspection, putting his hand within reach of the chocobo's wicked beak. Kaedryn was a glorious black bird, temperamental and deadly, and he had never been willing to accept any rider other than Sephiroth. That he didn't escape out into the paddock meant only that he was more interested in having a taste of Fair's flesh than in getting out of his sight.

Cloud winced as Kaedryn moved, his beak snapping closed on air just as Zack jerked his arm back out of the stall. "Uh…" Cloud bit his lip. "It was _your _idea."

"Yeah, well…how was I supposed to know he was a demon?!" Zack muttered, rubbing his hand, apparently aching at the close call.

Cloud laughed. "Come on, Zack. Kaedryn is _General Sephiroth's_ chocobo. Did you really expect him to act like a lamb?"

"Well…no…but Jaena's no princess, and she likes me just fine!"

"That's because she's _your _chocobo!"

Sephiroth resisted the urge to stalk forward and come to Kaedryn's defense. Kaedryn was perfectly capable of defending himself. Besides, he was more likely to find out exactly what these two were up to, and _why _they were interfering with the life and peace of _his _friend and mount, by watching from a distance. He couldn't quite decide whether to feel angry, confused, or intrigued. On the one hand, they had no right to interfere with Kaedryn. On the other hand, he was fairly certain they meant no harm, and thus must have some sort of beneficial plan in mind. Not that Sephiroth had any notion what that plan might be, or what might go wrong besides the both of them suffering grisly and painful deaths.

_Have mercy. _

Sephiroth gritted his teeth. Those words again. Who had written that damn note anyway? _…mercy… _Fine. He wouldn't let Kaedryn kill them.

Or maim them, more than a little.

"Even so…" Zack valiantly extended his arm into the stall again, wishing fervently that Kaedryn would come closer, get his scent, and decide he wasn't so bad after all. But the chocobo only snapped at him, his beak closing viciously just as Zack pulled his hand back, again, glaring ruefully at the bird and muttering to himself, again.

Cloud cleared his throat. "Zack…are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, Sephiroth might not even _want _us messing with Kaedryn."

Zack scoffed. "Like anyone can mess with a chocobo. They're too damn smart for that kind of shit. We're just…taking care of a few details."

Cloud bit his lip. "Yeah, but…what if the General doesn't _want _us taking care of any details? I mean…this isn't exactly the same as dropping off silly little gifts in his office. This is personal."

"Well shit, Spike," Zack muttered angrily. "Of course it's personal. It's Christmas. It's _supposed _to be personal!"

"That's not what I meant, Zack," Cloud's voice was quiet, insistent. "The whole point of this is to make him happy, not to make him mad, and this…" He gestured at a stack of…of something Sephiroth couldn't quite see. "It could be seen as an insult."

Zack glared. "How?"

"Well," Cloud licked his lips. "What if he thinks we're saying that what he has right now isn't good enough? Or…what if he thinks _we _think his ego's so puffed up that he thinks the stuff everyone else has isn't good enough for him? Or…what if he thinks we're trying to suck up?"

Zack continued to glare as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you mention any of this before?"

"I didn't think about it before. The whole thing seemed like a great idea, but…" Cloud bit his lip. "We can't even get Kaedryn to let us through the door and…I don't know. I…I just want him to be happy."

"Yeah." Zack ran a hand through his hair. "Me too."

"Here," Cloud slid down from the stack of crates he'd been perching on. "Let me try."

Sephiroth slipped further into the room, though he continued to watch from the shadows, intrigued, as Cloud batted Zack out of the way and slid his hand over the edge of the rather low stall door. Kaedryn didn't squawk this time, and he—amazingly—didn't snap. No, instead he snorted slightly and scratched savagely at the ground by the sound of it, but Cloud didn't get intimidated as most people would have. Kaedryn seemed to like the innocent calm that hung around Cloud better than he liked Zack's brash confidence. He probably thought Zack _needed _to be taken down a rung or two.

Sephiroth practically held his breath as Cloud and Kaedryn faced off against one another. He knew better than anyone just how intelligent the beast was and how vicious he could be. Cloud could get seriously hurt, but… No.

Kaedryn snorted and stepped forward to sniff at Cloud's outstretched hand.

Cloud smiled. "See, Kaedryn. I'm not so bad. I'm definitely not the General, but I'm not stupid enough to try riding you. I just want to give you a gift. You'll like it, I think. Will you let me in for a minute?"

Kaedryn snorted again and stepped back from the door.

Flipping the latch back, Cloud pulled the door open and stepped inside, stretching his arm out once again.

Kaedryn sniffed, and Sephiroth smiled. The boy was a natural with chocobos. Had to be, as Kaedryn was the most headstrong, short-tempered, and particular chocobo in the flock.

Cloud was running his hand along Kaedryn's neck now, and the chocobo had his eyes half-closed, leaning into the caress. Cloud cleared his throat. "All right, Zack. Hand me the equipment."

Zack passed over a saddle blanket, a soft black with silver trim around the edges, and, when Cloud had settled it into place over Kaedryn's back, he handed over a saddle, a deep, glistening black saddle of tough, expensive leather. It had silver tooling and buckles, and it was an incredible piece of work, obviously designed with Kaedryn in mind.

Sephiroth swallowed down the lump that threatened to rise in his throat, wondering how long ago Zack had commissioned it. It was beautiful, and it suited the two of them much better than the drab, Shinra-issue equipment they'd been using. Sephiroth walked silently through the stable, making his way past the other stalls and over to Kaedryn's as Cloud cinched the saddle and halter into place. He stopped just behind Zack and cleared his throat. "Thank you," he murmured. "I _do _like it."

Cloud jumped, his eyes wide and a hot blush sweeping across his cheeks.

Zack spun around to face the General, coughing a little. "Uh…hey, Seph. We didn't expect you to get here quite so soon."

Sephiroth nodded. He examined the impeccable cut of the halter's leather before casting a glance at Cloud. "No. I don't feel insulted in the least, cadet."

Zack scuffed his feet in the dirt, and Cloud's blush deepened from red to a furious scarlet, but it was Cloud who finally looked up, a muted gleam in his eyes. "I'm glad you like it, General." He swallowed, and licked his lips in a way that Sephiroth found utterly fascinating. Then he whispered, "Just, uh…eight more days…'til Christmas."


End file.
